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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Cheylus hotel is a private hotel located in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Vaucluse, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Built between the first half of the 16th and the 18th centuries, it is distinguished by its heterogeneous structure, grouping several buildings around two courtyards and a garden. The building incorporates a 16th century house, transformed in the 17th century into an aristocratic residence by the Cheylus family, owners of the premises from 1590 to 1745. Among its architectural peculiarities are a monumental staircase, gypseries, and above all a mikvé (Jewish ritual bath), one of the rare preserved in France, probably built between 1504 (creation of the Pernes ghetto) and 1569 (expulsion of the Jews from Comtat Venaissin).

The monument was the subject of successive protections: inscription in the title of historical monuments on 28 May 1993 for its squatted courtyard and porch, then classification on 3 September 1996 for its mikvé and cellars. Major transformations include the addition of a porch body, a niche-fontaine, and the elevation of buildings in the 18th century. The site thus reflects the architectural and social evolutions of Pernes-les-Fontaines, marked by cultural coexistence between Christian and Jewish communities before the expulsion of 1569.

Today, the former Cheylus hotel, located 23 Place de la Juiverie, retains remarkable elements such as its caladized floor, its Mirande (Provencal Gallery) with painted decorations, and its sunladou (covered terrace). These remains illustrate both the Jewish religious heritage in Provence and the adaptation of the local elites to the architectural norms of the 17th and 18th centuries. The building, partially open to the visit, remains a rare testimony of this pivotal period in the history of the Vaucluse.

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